Reversible dobby for harness and box motion



Oct. 6, '1931. w. M. WATTIE 1,326,334

REVERSIBLE DOBBY FOR HARNESS AND BOX MOTION I Filed March 4. 19 0 5 Shee'ts-Sheet l v I T z I Oct. 6, 1931. w. M. WATTIE 1,826,334 REVERSIBLE DOBBY FOR HARNESS AND BOX MOTION Filed March 4 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 nnnn W /Z M97745 REVERSIBLE DOBBY FOR HARIjESS AND BOX MOTION Filed March 4 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented a. 6,1931

@3551 STATE sf PATENT OFFICE WiLLIAM wmm; or WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR fro CROMPTON a KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, or WORCES ERMASSAG USETTS, .e. CORPORATION OF F 1 MASSA HUSETTS REVERSIBLE DOBBY non HAnNnsS AND BOX MOTION Thisinventionrelates to a dobby loom and particularlyto a 100m in which the harnesses and the. drop boxes are both controlled from the same dobby. In the operation of such 15 dobbies it is "essential that .the movement of the harnesses start earlier than the movement of thedrop boxes, and this relation should be maintained when the dobbyis being actuated either forward or backward Y 10 I Accordingly, it is the general'object of my invention to provide a' construction by which a reversible dobby may control both the harness'es and the drop boxes and by which the harness movement may start earlier in every =1 instance; regardless of? the direction of operation.

' In thepreferred form, I provide a lost motion connection which isautomatically shiftedto correct the timing when-the: direction of rotation of the 'dobby cylinder'gears is re versed.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter'described and more particu- 5935 larly pointed out in the appended claims.

I A preferred form of the invention is shown in thedrawings;inwhich l is a plan view of parts of a dobby embodyingmyimprovements; Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation; taken along the line 2-- 2 in Fig.1; p

I Fig. 3is an end elevation of certain parts, looking inithe direction 'of the arrow 3 1n Figl2i v I r, 4 is arear elevation of certain parts, looking inthe direction of the arrow tin Fig.3;

,Fig. 5 is aside elevationof certain parts, "partly in section, and taken substantially along the line 55 in Fig. 1; o

I 1 Fig. 6'is a. sectional rear'elevation, taken along the line 6-63in Fig.5; and

Figs. 7 8 and 9 are diagrammatic front elevations illustrating different steps inl the operation of my improved dobby.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a dobby comprising a frame 10 supporting upper, and lower cylinder shafts 11 and 12 adapted to be rotated through bevel gears Application filed March 4, 1930. Serial NO. 433,112. I

13 (Figs. land 4) from any usual source of power, I I I A pattern cylinder 15 is rotatably mount-ed 1n the-frame 10 and is connected by a gear 16' and P1111011 17 (Fig. 1) to the lower cylinder shaft'12. A pattern chain is mounted on the pattern cylinder 15 to control the vibrator levers 18 which raise and lower the vibrator gears 20 and 21. 1 V i i vThe pattern chain is composed of links of three different heights, the different kinds of links being indicated at 23, 24 and 25 in F ig... i

2. When the roll 26 on a vibrator lever rests upon one of the intermediate links 24:, the corresponding, vibrator gears are held in mid po- S1t101 1', as indicated "in Fig. 7, and are out of relation with both the upper andlower cylinder gears:

Separate cylinder gears 30-and 31 are pronoted on the upper cylinder shaft ,11 for engagement by the vibrator gears 20 and 21, the smaller box" motion vibrator gears 20 engaging the larger cylinder gears .30 and the larger harness vibrator gears 21 engaging the smaller'cylinder gears 31. i V The lower cylinder shaft 12 is similarly provided with cylinder gears 40 and 41 ene gaged by the vibrator :gears 20 and21 respectlvely when the vibrator gears are in loweredposition. 1

The vibrator and cylinder gears are so designed and their centers of rotation are so related that the cylinder gears will correctly engage and partially rotate the vibrator gears when the cylinder gears are driven either forward or backward. V

For a complete description of the arrangements bygwhich the dobby is thus made reversible, reference'is made'to'the prior patent of Stebbins and Hussey, N 011,691,156, issued November 13, 1928.

A lock knife 44 (Figs. 2 and 8). is provided for the vibrator levers .18 whichicontrol the box motion and a similar lockw knife 45 is provided for the vibrator levers 18 which control the harnesses. A spring 46 (Fig. 2) is provided for the harness section lock knife and holds the knife normally in looking position which position is determined by an 1 portions adjustable stop screw 47. A second spring 46 is provided for the section lock knife.

The lock knife is provided with a cam follower 50 (Fig. 4) intermittently actuated by a cam 51 on the lower cylinder shaft 12, and the lock knife 44 is similarly provided with a cam follower 52 engaging a cam 53 at the front end of the shaft 12. The cams are so designed that each lock knife is moved out of locking position at the time when the corresponding vibrator levers are to be shifted.

The cylinder gears 31 and 41 for the harnesses are fixed to the cylinder shafts 11 and 12 and rotate in unison therewith. The cylinder gears 30 and 40 which control the drop boxes are loosely mounted on the shafts 11 and 12 but are provided with segmental slots 60 through which extend studs 61 (Fig. 5) mounted in discs or collars 62 fixed to the shafts 11 and 12 and rotatable with the corresponding cylinder gears 31 and 41. Spring washers 63 are provided under the heads of the studs 61 to hold the center web of the gears 30 and 40 frictionally against the discs 62 while permitting the gears to slip relative to the discs the length of the segmental slots when the direction of rotation of the cylinder shafts is reversed.

Having described the construction of my improved dobby, the method of operation is as follows It is well understood in the operation of drop box looms that the harness change must start substantially earlier than the shifting of the drop boxes and for this reason the teeth of the intermittent cylinder gears are arranged as indicated in Fig. 7 where it will appear that the leading teeth of the harness cylinder gears 31 or 41 engage the teeth of the corresponding vibrator gears 20 several teeth earlier than the teeth of the box motion gears 30 or 40 engage the teeth of the vibrator gears 21.

It will be noted, however, that the movements of the vibrator gears terminate at practically the same time, the rearmost teeth of the gears 30 and 31 or 40 and 41 being substantially in line. The gear 30 is larger than the gear 31 and the gear 20 is smaller than the gear 21, so that the box motion vibrator gears 21, while starting later, rotate more rapidly and thus complete their movements at the same time as the more slowly moving harness vibrator gears 20.

In Figs. 7 and 8 the cylinder gears are moving in the normal or forward direction, as indicated by the arrows, and the vibrator gears are in neutral. The studs 61 in the positively driven harness cylinder gears 31 and 41 engage the forward ends of the slots ,60 in the box motion gears 30 and 40.

Fig. 8 shows the harness vibrator gears 21 in engagement with the upper cylinder gear 31, while the teeth of the cylinder gear 30 have not yet engaged the teeth of the box mo-- tion vibrator gears 20.

If the direction of motion is reversed, the cylinder gears will rotate in the directions indicated by arrows in Fig. 9 and the studs 61 will slip to the opposite ends of the slots 60, causing relative movement between the cylinder gears 30 and 31 and also between the corresponding cylinder gears 40 and 41, so that the teeth of the cylinder gears 31 and 41 which move the harnesses will again lead the teeth of the box motion cylinder gears 30 and 40 by several teeth in the new direction of rotation.

The lead of the harness gears is thus auto matically maintained, regardless of the direction of rotation of the cylinder gears. Consequently the harnesses will begin to shift before the boxes start to move, whether the dobby is being run forward or backward.

This is a substantial advantage, as it is for the first time made possible for a dobby which controls both harnesses and drop boxes to be run either forward or backward.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is 1. In a reversible dobby having harness 1evers and drop box levers, means to shift the harness levers, means to shift the drop box levers after the movement of the harness levers has begun, and means to preserve the same sequence of movements when the dobby is reversed.

2. In a reversible dobby having harness levers and drop box levers, a cylinder gear to shift the harness levers, a cylinder gear to shift the drop box levers, a cylinder shaft on which said gears are mounted, and means to automatically change the position of said gears relative to each other when the dobby is reversed, thereby preserving the lead of the harness levers.

3. In a reversible dobby having harness levers and drop box levers, a cylinder gear to shift the harness levers, a cylinder gear to shift the drop box levers, a cylinder shaft on which said gears are mounted, and means to render said drop box cylinder gears operative later than said harness cylinder gears in either direction of dobby operation.

4. In a reversible dobby having harness levers and drop box levers, a cylinder gear to shift the harness levers, a cylinder gear to shift the drop box levers, a cylinder shaft to which one of said gears is secured, said second gear being loose on said shaft, a driving connection between said shaft and said second gear having limited angular lost motion between said shaft and gear operative when said shaft is reversed, and friction means to hold said second gear from accidental angular displacement.

5., In a reversible dobby having harness levers and drop box levers, a cylinder gear to shift the harness levers, a cylinder gear to shift the drop box levers, a cylinder shaft to which one of said gears is secured, said secvers and drop boX levers, a cylinder gear tov shift the harness levers, a cylinder gear to shift the drop box levers, a cylinder shaft on which said gears are mounted, and means to automatically change the position of one of said gears on said shaft when the dobby is reversed while the other gear remains fixed to said shaft, thereby preserving the lead of g the harness levers. r

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

WILLIAM M. WATTIE. 

